This is what I'm talking about. The one in the back is a larger carboy and the top is full of bubbles. The one in front is in the process of being filled. It did push the bubbles out for the most part, but it still had a little bit in the headspace (even though there wasn't much headspace).

Does anyone know if the bubbles are enough to affect the beer flavor, etc.?

When you sanitize ahead of time, those bubbles penetrate cracks and dry to form a thin layer of low PH that discourages grubbies from growing. You're talking about a couple or three tablespoons at most, throughout the entire vessel. Let's see. Two tablespoons is an eighth of a cup, or one fluid ounce. Four cups (thirty two fl oz) in a quart. Four quarts (one hundred twenty eight fl oz) in a gallon. You get the idea.

Putting it into that context I fail to see anything worth worrying about.

Logged

"To alcohol! The cause of - and solution to - all of life's problems!" -Homer Simpson

When used properly, StarSan is odorless, tasteless and very effective. The primary ingredient is Phosphoric Acid, which is the same thing used in Soda Pop. A small amount is created in beer fermentation.

The secondary ingredient is another acid that is the surfactant, creating the foam. The foam increases the surface area of the phosphoric acid and lengthens the contact time.

Very interesting photo! I have been using the product for a few years and have never seen that much foam, except when oxygenating the wort. Do you drain the carboys inverted using a carboy stand? It must be interesting when you add oxygen to the wort. I add 1/2 tsp. Fermcap to each carboy, prior to oxygenating the wort. It helps in preventing blow outs with no ill effects on the finished beer.

I used to use the Five Star Io Star Sanitizer. It requires a 2 minute contact. It also stains all plastic purple, which isn't a problem, but just looks weird. I've heard it can't be kept as long as StarSan either.

I keep a 5 gallon fermenter of StarSan mixed up with an airlock on it. I re-use it. I've been told as long as it will still make bubbles easy, it's still effective. The bucket you see behind the carboys in the photo is that 5 gallon fermenter. When I finished I just put the lid on it with the airlock. It is my understanding, that if you leave it open, it loses it effectiveness more quickly. If you leave it covered under an airlock, you can re-use it for quite some time.

By the way, that photo was taken 4 hours ago. There are no bubbles left in either of the fermenters.

If you are using tap water to mix, I haven't had the solution last more then a day or two.RO water lasts me over a month.Distilled water will last the longest.I know a lot of people discard after clouding, but the pH of the solution is the critical factor.